Rapist leaves scar on woman's dignity: court

A court here has sentenced a man convicted of rape to seven years rigorous imprisonment, stating that a rapist leaves a scar on a woman's cherished possessions like dignity, honour, reputation and chastity.

Additional Sessions Judge Anuradha Shukla Bhardwaj also slapped a fine of Rs.50,000 on Uttar Pradesh resident Rahul Tomar, 22, after holding him guilty of sexually assaulting a 20-year-old woman.

The court said that "undue sympathy to impose inadequate sentence would do more harm to the justice system to undermine the public confidence in the efficacy of law and society could not long endure under such serious threats".

Noting "protection of society and deterring the criminal is the avowed object of law", it said: "Sexual violence apart from being a dehumanizing act is an unlawful intrusion on the right of privacy and sanctity of a female.

"It is a serious blow to her supreme honour and offends her self-esteem and dignity.

"It degrades and humiliates the victim and leaves behind a traumatic experience. A rapist not only causes physical injuries but more indelibly leaves a scar on the most cherished possession of a woman i.e. her dignity, honour, reputation and not the least her chastity," the court said in its order delivered Tuesday, but released on Thursday.

Turning down Tomar's plea for leniency, it said: "To him, the pain of bearing a child and giving birth has become a nullity after the death of the child. There is nothing in the prosecutrix (victim) having lost her virginity and consequentially prospects of marriage.

"Not only the prosecutrix suffered unwarranted physical assault committed by convict, she also lost her child, which would have definitely caused her mental trauma," the court said.

The crime occurred in west Delhi in November 22 when Tomar followed the woman when she was going back after filling water to her house, and asked her to give him water. He then forced himself in, bolted the door from inside and thereafter raped her, police said.

As Tomar threatened the victim, she remained quiet but after three months, found that she was pregnant, police said. Later, she gave birth to a child who died after few days.

Subsequently, she complained to police and a first information report was registered in February 2013 in west Delhi's Nihal Vihar police station.

--IANS

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